<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Cold Comfort by mel_tokio</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27542872">Cold Comfort</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mel_tokio/pseuds/mel_tokio'>mel_tokio</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tales of Symphonia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:07:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,991</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27542872</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mel_tokio/pseuds/mel_tokio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Noishe requires medical attention and Colette and Lloyd are concerned pet parents.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Colette Brunel/Lloyd Irving</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cold Comfort</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted on Tumblr for Colloyd Week 2019. Reposted here with minor edits.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Is he going to be okay, Doctor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colette lightly caressed the fur on Noishe’s head, careful not to be too rough, feeling the wrinkles in his furrowed brow as he let out a pathetic whine. Her other hand squeezed Lloyd’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she’d woken up that morning, she could tell something was wrong. Noishe, usually eager to announce when the sun had risen by pouncing onto her and Lloyd’s bed and attacking them with warm licks, was lying nearly motionless on the floor at almost 10:00 AM. After she shook Lloyd awake and neither of them had any success in getting him to budge, it became clear that it was time to seek medical help for the poor creature.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fortunately, they were in the best possible location. Thanks to recent legislation making Exspheres harder to obtain, the pair’s duties had slowed down a bit, and apparently sensing that Colette was a bit worn out and could use a break, Lloyd had suggested they take a gap year of sorts. Though she was initially reluctant, Lloyd had insisted that if they overworked themselves, they would end up becoming less effective at helping the inhabitants of the new world they had fought so hard for, and she couldn’t really argue with that logic. And so, a few months prior, the two began renting a small house in Flanoir, Lloyd running a small jewelry business from home while Colette worked at a local daycare. And lucky for Noishe, Flanoir happened to be home to one of the best renowned animal hospitals in Aselia, so it had only taken a matter of minutes for Colette to carry him to the emergency room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The veterinarian looked up from the X-ray in her hand, adjusting her glasses, and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It seems that Noishe has swallowed some sort of hard object, most likely some sort of stone, but this is no reason for panic. Allowing him to pass the object naturally would pose a risk of intestinal damage, but we have a procedure we often do for animals in this situation. In layman’s terms, we would give him an anaesthetic to put him under and stick a tube down his throat to suck the object out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lloyd tightened his grip on Colette’s hand, balling up the fabric of his pants in his other hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said it was a stone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is what it appears to be, yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His shoulders sank.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It must have been one of mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colette could hear a slight crack in his voice. She could tell he was blaming himself for this, and it broke her heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lloyd, don’t worry,” she reassured him, squeezing his hand back. “The doctor said he’s going to be okay, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Correct,” the doctor confirmed. “As I said, Noishe will be asleep for the entire procedure, so it shouldn’t cause him any pain. He will likely have some difficulty eating after the fact, so we will need to keep him in our care for a few days to monitor his recovery and ensure he is getting his proper nutrition, but for an animal of his size, I see no possibility of severe damage, and while I can give you no guarantees, I estimate he will be ready to return home by Wednesday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three days?” Colette gently stroked Noishe’s ear. That was a long time. “Will we be able to visit him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doctor frowned and shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, but due to the popularity of our clinic, we are very busy with patients and would not have time to welcome any visitors, but I assure you Noishe will be in good hands.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then the sooner you start working on him, the better, right?” said Lloyd. “Where are the papers we need to sign? I wanna get this over with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree,” said the doctor. “I would also like to ease Noishe’s discomfort as soon as possible.” She opened her desk drawer and grabbed a manila folder, flipping through its contents until she procured the necessary form, pinned it to a clipboard, and handed it to Lloyd. “If the two of you would please read this and sign at the bottom, we will begin the procedure shortly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colette looked over Lloyd’s shoulder. She could make out the words on the form, but in her current mental state, they were nothing more than combinations of letters to her. Even if her brain were less foggy, the language would probably be too technical to make sense to her anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bit her lip and reached for the pen at the top of the clipboard. She would just have to trust that the doctors knew what they were doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lloyd, not seeming to understand the paper in front of him any better than she did based on his blank stare, took the pen from her and followed in suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The veterinarian accepted the clipboard back from him and placed it on top of her desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right then, I’ll call the nurse in and we’ll begin shortly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colette rose from her chair, her legs shaking a bit. Actually, </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of her seemed to be shaking. She leaned down to plant a soft kiss on Noishe’s head as Lloyd rubbed his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“G-good luck, boy,” he stuttered. “I know this is scary, but I promise you’ll feel better soon, and then we’ll be sure to give you plenty of belly rubs and table scraps.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Noishe whined weakly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rest assured, you two,” said the doctor. “We’ll take good care of your pet, and if you come to the front desk around noon on Wednesday, we’ll let you know if he’s ready to return home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” was all Lloyd could say as he took Colette’s hand and steered her out of the room.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Colette, are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colette put down the fork she’d been absentmindedly twirling through her plate of stir-fry and looked up at Lloyd. A halfhearted giggle escaped her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lloyd eyed her skeptically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then how come you did that little laugh you always do when you lie? And you’re barely even touching your lunch, not even the pineapple!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She exhaled. There was no hiding anything from Lloyd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I’m just a little worried.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt sort of guilty admitting it. Lloyd must have it even harder. He definitely felt responsible for Noishe’s predicament since it had been one of his gemstones the dog had devoured—not that it was his fault; pets ate things left lying around the house all the time, and there was no way to prevent it short of living in a home with nothing but bare furniture—but he was prone to blaming himself for things that were out of his control. And here she was making him worry about her on top of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned across the table to place his hand on top of hers. She could feel the calluses on his thumb as he slowly rubbed it across her skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. You love him just as much as I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hung her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for not eating more of the food you made. And you even went out of your way to put pineapple in it for me! I just don’t have much of an appetite right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it, you dork. We can just save the leftovers for later. I’ll go get a container.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picked up her hand to give it a quick kiss and left his chair to grab a container from the cabinet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there anything that would make you feel better?” he asked, his voice a bit muffled by the sounds of him rummaging through the various kitchenware in the drawers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe a nap?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a good idea. You go to bed; I’ll take care of the dishes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, go get some sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stood up and walked over to kiss him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crawling under the covers, she hugged her favorite stuffed dog tight, and while the bedroom felt empty without Noishe curled up next to the bed, it didn’t take long before her exhaustion caught up with her and she fell asleep.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>She awoke to fingertips lightly tapping on her arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colette?” a voice whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She rubbed her eyelids and opened them to see a figure bending over the bed, dressed in a maroon winter coat, his chestnut hair highlighted by the rays of sunlight reflecting off of the snow outside the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm? Lloyd?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A grin spread across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come outside; I have something to show you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She yawned and stretched her legs out, reacclimating them to the world of the living.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” She rolled out of bed, the fluffy carpet greeting her feet, and followed Lloyd to the door to slip into her coat and boots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they walked outside, he led her to a particularly tall snowdrift.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look behind it,” he instructed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colette did as he said and walked to the opposite side of the snowdrift to see a large, familiar shape resting behind it. Her hands rose to her heart, the corners of her mouth turning upward until her cheeks started to hurt a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lloyd! Did you make this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep!” He nodded proudly. “This is Snoishe! He’s here to keep you company while Noishe is gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leaned down to examine Snoishe more closely. Lloyd’s artistry was truly second-to-none. He’d carved details into the snow as if it were a piece of jewelry, and the texture of Snoishe’s fur looked surprisingly realistic. He’d even gotten those big ears and the green tuft that stuck up on his head perfect!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Lloyd!” She turned back to look at him, unsure whether his cheeks were so red from the cold, his pride in a job well done, or both. “He’s adorable!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You like him, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She ran over to hug him, nestling her head in his chest, the puffy fabric of his coat cushioning her cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. You always know how to cheer me up when I’m sad. I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She reached up to cup his face in her hands and pulled him in for a kiss. She noticed as her lips met his that his face was quite cold. Just how long had he been outside in this weather, slaving away in the cold to put a smile on her face?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re freezing, Lloyd! Let’s go back inside so I can make you some hot cocoa!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grabbed his hand and guided him back into their kitchen so she could heat up a kettle of milk. He was always doing so much for her, even when he was having a hard time himself. She would never feel like she did enough to deserve his kindness, but she could at least make it up to him with small things like this.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Though Snoishe melted in a matter of days, his inspiration was perfectly healthy and ready to return home when his humans came to the animal hospital on Wednesday. With a big smile and a wagging tail, he tackled them and smothered them in licks as soon as he saw them. It tickled a bit, but Colette didn’t mind. Being reunited with him made her feel as though she herself had finally recovered from an ailment of her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night, she and Lloyd, as promised, gave Noishe all the belly rubs and bits of dinner his heart could possibly desire, and as they got ready to sleep, Lloyd patted the space next to him on the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on up, boy! Sleep here tonight!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Noishe, more than happy to oblige, leapt onto the mattress, where Colette tucked him under the comforter with a kiss goodnight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she snuggled up to her boyfriend and her favorite dog in the whole world, bathing in their warmth, she was certain she would have only the sweetest of dreams that night.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>